Build Your Body The Old Fashioned Way

We’ve all seen the magazines with pictures of men and women with biceps the size of a Volkswagen and thighs the size of a redwood. For some this is the epitome of beauty and brawn, while others find these images revolting. Regardless of which end of the spectrum you find yourself, the question is, “How do these people get this way?”

Before we jump on the “steroids” mantra we need to be fair to all body builders. These men and women really do commit hours of hard work in the gym, disciplined dieting and dedication to building their physique beyond that of an average human being. Many competitive bodybuilders spend nearly 8 hours a day engaged in some form of physical activity, mostly in the form of lifting weights.

Nevertheless, I have been involved in competitive sports my entire life. At every level I have competed the athletes are always looking for an edge over their peers. The use of “performance enhancing drugs” or steroids begins in high school for most athletes. Bodybuilding is a sport, make no mistake about it. And in the sport of body building, the use of steroids is rampant. Any competitive bodybuilder with an ounce of integrity will admit that at some point they have used steroids, probably more than once.

So how do we build our bodies with or without steroids through resistance training?

On the weights end of the equation, experts recommend performing 3-5 sets of 8-12 repetitions on each exercise. Many bodybuilders prescribe to a “split-routine” where one body part is trained on one day and another on the next. For example, on Monday train the chest and back and on Tuesday train the legs and shoulders. This training method allows for the body builder to train each day, which keeps the calorie in-out balance in check while also allowing the trained body parts a day of rest to fully recover.

In order for muscles to hypertrophy, or grow it is necessary that the muscles be broken down. Muscles will not grow if the the muscle fibers (cells) are not damaged. Further, when they are torn down during resistance training and allowed to fully recover the body will actually repair itself stronger than before. Without getting overly technical and throwing out a ton of exercise physiology jargon, you must train to failure. That is, if at the end of a set you could keep going with relative ease and your muscles don’t feel a burn, then you are not fully tearing your muscles down, and you will not grow. “To earn, you have got to burn.”

The other end of the muscle-building equation is the diet end. This in and of itself is an entire subject. So I won’t go there today. However, I am often asked what should I eat (to build muscle)? That’s a great question.

I eat like a horse…quantitatively and qualitatively. In other words, I eat a ton of food but I also eat the right foods. Horses are extremely muscular animals, when is the last time you observed or heard of a horse munching down on a piece of cake, a slice of pizza, a doughnut? Have you heard of a horse drinking a nice big glass of milk with a slice of bacon and some scrambled eggs? Horse’s love apples, carrots, whole grains, and cucumbers, raw corn, grasses, flowers, any kind of plant is fair game for a horse.

“But where do horses get their protein?” Protein is the structural component of foods; all plants consist of some amount of protein, the harder and denser the food, the more protein. Far too many of Americans are confused by brilliant marketing from the meat and dairy industry that tells us meat and dairy are the only places for protein. Meat and dairy are concentrated forms of protein, but the health risks associated with massive amounts of consumption far outweigh the benefits. How many anti-oxidants (cancer fighters) are found in meat and dairy? ZERO! How many oxidants (cancer causers) are found in meat and dairy? THOUSANDS! And are you ready for this…they will make you fat. Sure you will be tipping the scales after your workouts, but your body fat percent will sky rocket.

Bottom line, if you want to build your body, train until the muscles fail, let them rest a day or two and eat like a horse.

Will you Gain 10 or Lose 10 this Holiday Season?

This year our New Year's resolution is to...not make losing weight a resolution EVER AGAIN!

Don't sacrifice your health, spend your wealth and then try and undo it in January. Take preventive measures, start an exercise program that will help you lose 10 lbs rather than gain them.

Here are Ten Reasons to Exercise which will help you Lose 10 and not Gain 10

#1...Increased energy: The right combination of exercise and nutrition creates an hormonal environment conducive to fat loss, increased muscle strength and increased energy. When your body is working at peak efficiency, your energy levels soar!

Everyday things become much easier to do.

Exercise Benefit #2...Increased Self-Esteem: Gaining control of your body size and weight through fitness is an amazing way to increase self-esteem. You look better and are more confident which empowers you in everything you do. You will find that the self-discipline required and learned through regular exercise spills over into other areas of your life and you will be better able to make other necessary and desireable changes.

Exercise Benefit #3...Increase Mental Focus: Did you know that the latest research shows that exercise helps keep the brain sharp well into old age? Anything that involves mental acuity (focus and concentration) is improved. You also stand a much better chance of avoiding such diseases as Alzheimer's and senility.

Exercise Benefit #4...Decreased Risk of a Heart Attack: By exercising regularly and making positive changes in your diet, you lower your cholesterol and blood pressure and greatly diminish the chances of having a heart attack.

Exercise Benefit #5...Decreased Risk of Osteoporosis: Regular exercise, especially weight-bearing exercise, reduces the risk of osteoporosis, and can even reverse it buy building bone tissue!

Exercise Benefit #6...Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer by up to 60% Estradiol and progesterone, two ovarian hormones linked to breast cancer tumor production are lowered in the body by exercise.

A womans body is most susceptible to these hormones during the time between ovulation and menstruation. Habitual exercise can actually delay ovulation until later in the menstrual cycle. This reduces the time she must fight these hormones.

Fat has long been known to be a catalyst in the production of estrogen (estradiol). Regular exercise burns body fat and thus decreases the rate of estrogen production.

So there you have it!... A two pronged, cancer preventing exercise benefit!

Exercise Benefit #7...Increased Strength and Stamina: Every physical thing you do becomes easier which is immensely useful in everyday life.

Exercise Benefit #8...Reduced Depression: The production of Endorphins (Feel good hormones) is increased through exercise. Nothing improves mood and suppresses depression better than those endorphins.

Exercise Benefit #9...Decreased Stress Levels: The worries and stresses of everyday living (commuting, work demands, conflicts etc.) can stick with you long after the work day is done. Exercise right after work is the perfect natural therapy that can change your mood. You'll sleep better too!

Exercise Benefit #10...Well actually, here are another 50 benefits...

Improved digestion.

Enhances quality of sleep.

Adds a sparkle and radiance to complexion.

Improves body shape.

Tones and firms muscles.

Provides more muscular definition.

Enables weight loss and keeps it off.

Makes you limber.

Improves endurance.

Burns extra calories.

Improves circulation and helps reduce blood pressure.

Increases lean muscle tissue in the body.

Improves appetite for healthy foods.

Alleviates menstrual cramps.

Alters and improves muscle chemistry.

Increases metabolic rate.

Enhances coordination and balance.

Improves posture.

Eases and possibly eliminates back problems and pain.

Makes the body use calories more efficiently.

Lowers resting heart rate.

Increases muscle size through an increase in muscle fibers.

Improves body composition.

Increases body density.

Decreases fat tissue more easily.

Makes body more agile.

Is the greatest body tune-up.

Reduces joint discomfort.

Improves athletic performance.

Enriches sexuality.

May add a few years to life.

Increases your range of motion.

Enhances immune system.

Improves glycogen storage.

Enables the body to utilize energy more efficiently.

Increases enzymes in the body which burn fat.

Increases the number and size of mitochondria in muscle cells.

Increases concentration of myoglobin (carries oxygen in muscles) in skeletal muscles.

Enhances oxygen transport throughout the body.

Improves liver functioning.

Increases speed of muscle contraction and reaction time.

Enhances feedback through the nervous system.

Strengthens the heart.

Improves blood flow.

Helps to alleviate varicose veins.

Increases maximum cardiac output.

Increases contractility of the heart's ventricles.

Increases the weight and size of the heart.

Improves contractile function of the whole heart.

Makes calcium transport in the heart and body more efficient.

Welcome to BetterBodies

Welcome to our Blog.

BetterBodies in Tucson is not an ordinary gym. Sure we have all the amenities and equipment that you should expect in any top-notch fitness facility.

But what is it that separates us from the rest?

It all starts with the people. From the bottom up and the top down, our people are experts in the field of lifestyle enhancement and fitness training.

All managers and trainers at BetterBodies are certified personal trainers and/or hold degrees in exercise science or a related field. However, selecting a trainer based solely on a degree or a certification is sort of like buying a house simply because it has four walls. A certification or a degree is only as good as the paper it is printed on.

All trainers at BetterBodies have years of personal training experience. Unfortunately, experience doesn’t prove that we are the best.

You can walk into any fitness center in the world and know that the training corps is probably degreed and/or certified and very experienced. So what separates BetterBodies from the rest?

First, BetterBodies is a family. When you join BetterBodies you have become part of an organization that will know your name, your likes, your dislikes and your needs. You will be welcomed, accepted, and loved.

Second, BetterBodies is committed to continuing education. Every other week the trainers at BetterBodies commit one hour of their time to learning and training enhancement.

Third, BetterBodies core values. At BetterBodies we know that permanent weight loss is a result of a lifestyle change. That losing inches doesn’t happen unless you increase your number of visits to the gym and decrease the number of trips to the drive through.

Finally, BetterBodies is diverse. Just as every human body is different so are the training techniques and approaches to helping you create change in your life.

Here are some of the titles that our trainers hold; Professor, Doctor, Coach, Teacher, Champion, & Lieutenant.

So, if its certification you want, we got it. If its experience you want, we got it. If its results you want…well, we  guarantee that we will teach you, coach you and support you while you work hard to achieve them.